Say Hello To My Nerdy Friend
by Solo Ensemble
Summary: Johnny's older sister Elizabeth comes to Port Charles and causes trouble for Sonny and Jason, who vastly underestimate her.
1. Chapter 1

**Prompt – Nerd.**

**Note **– This is part of the SEMMFF treasury and is consolidated here. Elizabeth is Johnny Zacchara's older sister, Trevor's not a bad guy in the sense that he's not trying to start a mob war and he's not trying to manipulate Johnny or retain control of the Zacchara family's holdings, and Sonny's a frigging idiot (not different from the show, but it just bears repeating). Also, Elizabeth has never met any of the people in Port Charles. This is kind of how I would have liked to see Claudia introduced on the show. Maybe. I haven't decided yet.

**1**

"We have a problem." Jason didn't even bother to announce himself as he entered Sonny's office at the coffee shop. "Trevor's bringing someone in to replace Johnny."

"Replace Johnny as what?" Sonny wanted to know. "The resident pain in my ass?"

"The head of the Zacchara family."

The mobster snorted. "He finally realized that Johnny doesn't have two good ideas to rub together in his head. Who's he bringing in?"

"Spinelli came up with a name. She's Elizabeth Idony Zacchara. His older sister."

Sonny stared at him for a moment before bursting out in laughter. "His _sister_? Let me get this straight: Johnny needs his sister to come take care of things for him? What a pussy boy."

"I'm having him pull up everything he can on her," Jason continued impatiently. "You know, pictures, history, contacts, anything that we can use to get a better idea of who she is and what she's going to do next."

"I'm not worried," his best friend replied. "She's a damn girl. Even if she does know how to run the business, it'll be easy to distract her. I'm not worried."

"Alcazar's piers are still open," Jason reminded him. "I don't want to take any chances on that property being bought up by the Zaccharas."

Sonny shrugged. "There's nothing we can do about it now. Let me know if Spinelli comes up with something good. And what Trevor's next move is. He'll be the one running the organization now. He's the one we have to watch out for."

* * *

"The thing about that organization is that it's becoming increasingly vulnerable." Johnny hopped up onto the corner of her desk as Elizabeth organized the files Trevor had handed over to her. "It's run by Sonny Corinthos, and his enforcer Jason Morgan is his right hand man."

"Sounds tight."

"Not really," he shrugged. "Sonny's an overreactive, sniveling basket case who thinks with his dick and basically throws all business over for the next body to warm his bed. Jason Morgan is the one that takes over. He's cold, clinical, objective, and smart, and he's the real brains behind the organization. He's the one that knows this business from the ground up."

"Sonny is all bark and no bite," Trevor agreed, taking a stack of files from her and setting it on a corner table. "He's going to try to intimidate you at the party. In return, I want you to try not to laugh."

Elizabeth smiled at that. "Don't worry, I know exactly what I have to do. I've been doing it for the past ten years, and I've turned it into an art form. I'm no stranger to incompetent, swaggering men that are quick to underestimate a pretty face."

Trevor chucked her under the chin affectionately. "I have no reason to doubt that you'll handle this perfectly, Elizabeth. It helps that they know nothing about you – we were very careful to keep everything under wraps. As far as they know, you're the same shy, gangly seven-year old girl from the family photographs. They have no idea what you did while you were in Milan, and how you secured these assets for the family."

She moved around the desk, smoothing the fabric of her simple black dress. Being back in the Zacchara mausoleum felt good after all these years – better than she thought it would when Trevor and her father sent her away for her protection. As a child, her feelings for this house and everyone in it had always been associated with danger, violence, death, and foreboding. Her heart ached for her brother, then just an infant, who had no reasonable means of escape as the first son. This would all be his to inherit one day, and she remembered thanking God that the burden hadn't fallen on her shoulders instead.

As he grew older, though, John proved to defy the odds against him by holding on to many of his childhood dreams, the first and foremost being a life and world view untainted by the darkness of his family. He was strong, compassionate, generous, and worried about going mad like their father. She didn't think he had anything to worry about: under Trevor's caring but firm instruction, he grew shrewd and perceptive, almost clinical in his view of the family and the business.

It was John that had been the first to realize that if this family was going to gain a true stronghold in this area, it would have to control the docks formerly owned by the late Alcazar brothers. Sonny Corinthos had proven a challenge, and an irksome, foolhardy one at that, and so Trevor had finally decided that it was time to launch the surprise attack. The Corinthos-Morgan organization knew all about Johnny: they knew what made him tick, what made him sick, and how to push all his buttons. They didn't know a damn thing about her, and she was out to make sure that she kept her goals and her strengths hidden from everyone outside the family until the Zacchara organization was too strong to be stopped.

"And that's our ace in the hole," she replied smoothly, looking back and forth between her brother and her trusted attorney. "From what I understand, Sonny Corinthos is a stupid man. I won't have any trouble snowing him over."

* * *

_At the Zacchara house, the ballroom…_

"Ladies and gentleman," Trevor boomed, waiting for the throng of partygoers, almost all mob associates of his and Johnny's, to quiet down and turn to him. "First of all, the Zacchara family would like to thank all of you for gracing us with your presence this evening. It's a very happy occasion for John and myself, and we'd like to share it with the rest of you."

At Trevor's nod, Johnny stepped forward. "Most of you are aware that I am not an only child. I have an older sister that moved away when I was quite young. I visited her occasionally as a child, but due to family circumstances we could never stay together as a family."

"Here it comes," Sonny murmured to Jason. "The great white hope of the Zacchara family. Now we'll see who they were so determined to keep under wraps for so long."

"And what kind of threat she is to our organization," Jason agreed quietly.

"With my father currently undergoing medical care and not being in a position to be with us currently," Johnny continued, "my sister, Elizabeth Idony Zacchara, has only moments ago arrived from her home in Milan, and she is here to stay. She does not plan to be involved in the business, and that's not what matters here, anyway. All that matters tonight is that the Zacchara family is as complete as it needs to be."

"I'd like to introduce you all to a young woman that's like a daughter to me," Trevor smiled softly. "Please welcome Elizabeth Zacchara."

Sonny and Jason leaned forward just slightly, eager to see the competition, and were able to make out a petite feminine form behind Trevor. And as she moved fully into the light, both men could only stare in wonder.

Elizabeth Zacchara, as she was called, was a tiny little woman reaching a height of a mere five feet, two inches. She was noticeably thin with pale, pale skin, the wan glow of which was only enhanced by the bright lights of the ballroom. She blinked in their glare like a deer in the headlights, trying to get used to the ambience and her surroundings as the other guests tittered and smiled and awkwardly clapped.

Her hair was a mousy brown and very curly, and had been clipped back at her crown in order to free up her face. Her makeup was bare – as in barely there – and her long crimson dress fairly swallowed her up in silk. She wore glasses as well, as if all that wasn't bad enough, and was forever pushing them up her nose with her index finger. On her feet were a pair of very high, very sexy crimson stilettos that, unfortunately, did not at all match the picture the little brunette presented.

Sonny smirked as she wobbled slightly on her heels before regaining her balance with the help of Trevor's arm. "That's Elizabeth Zacchara."

Jason gruffly cleared his throat. "…Yeah."

Sonny's smile grew. "And you were worried."


	2. Chapter 2

**Prompt – A pretty face can hide an evil mind.**

**2**

"When we heard you were coming to Port Charles, we wanted to know more about you," Sonny started smoothly, smiling down at the fidgeting brunette. "There wasn't a whole lot we could find, but one thing."

Elizabeth pushed her glasses higher up her nose and blinked up at him. "And that was?"

Sonny's smile grew wide and warm, and when those infamous dimples of his began to show, Jason wanted to roll his eyes. "That you were an absolutely lovely woman. My faith in my team's intelligence abilities is restored."

The young woman blushed prettily, and Jason almost felt bad her. She actually believed that Sonny was being sincere. "Thank you, Mister Corinthos."

"Please." He patted her hand, letting his thumb gently stray over her knuckles. "Call me Sonny."

"Er…" She nibbled her lower lip and nodded jerkily. "Sonny."

"And you know my partner Jason. Jason Morgan."

Her dark eyes turned to his when Jason nodded in introduction, and he stopped when he saw something flash there. Something shrewd, something sharp, some kind of attraction. But as quickly as it appeared, so it disappeared, and he was left wondering if he had just imagined it.

"It's very nice to meet you, Jason."

He nodded curtly, not wanting any part in humiliating a timid little wallflower just because she had the audacity to belong to one of the most dangerous families on the East coast. "Same."

"So you're Johnny's older sister," Sonny picked up again. "I would have guessed younger."

Elizabeth smiled at the transparent comment. "Thank you, Sonny. Actually, I'm seven years older than him. We've always been quite close, despite our separation; he'd come visit me often in Milan whenever Trevor and my father could secret him away without anyone knowing."

"A good thing," Sonny agreed. "Every man in our business needs the calming presence of a woman. I think Johnny faired quite well with you around."

She blushed again, and Jason began looking of ways to excuse himself. Really, this was just painful to watch. "Thank you, Sonny. I did the best I could to be a relatively stable, constant presence in his life. You know how boys his age are. So rash and impulsive and passionate, quick to anger, that sort of thing. It was a challenge sometimes to get through to him."

Ah. If Jason knew Sonny, this was exactly the opening he'd seize. As usual, his best friend didn't disappoint.

"I know what you mean," he pretended to lament, leaning in just a little closer so that she would feel as if he were taking her into his confidence. "It's hard to get boys his age to see sense and reason sometimes. Jason and I have tried, but…"

Elizabeth's eyes widened in perfectly practiced alarm. "What do you mean? What has John been up to in Port Charles?"

This time, Jason did roll his eyes. It was sickening, really, how quickly women fell into Sonny's trap. Still, he had to admire that kind of consistency, even when he did pity the victims.

Sonny let out a sigh, as if he didn't want to be the one to relay this information and cause John's image to suffer in the eyes of his beloved sister. "I don't know if you heard or not, but one of the most important commodities on the market right now is the waterfront property belonging to the Alcazar family."

Wide, confused eyes moved back and forth between Jason and Sonny. "…No, I wasn't aware. Please, go on."

"Jason and I are looking to secure that property," Sonny explained. "We run a coffee business and move our product via the harbor, and those piers would really help us keep our business going. Sales have been declining," he added quietly, "because it's getting harder and harder to keep Starbucks and Caribou out of town."

"I see."

"Johnny, I think, has it in his head that he'd like to see the properties going to anyone but us." The mobster shook his head sadly. "I'm not sure what we did to him to provoke that. Jason and I have never shown him or Trevor or your organization any kind of aggression."

Something hot grew inside Jason's chest as he watched Elizabeth reach out this time and gently place her hand over Sonny's in silent reassurance. Maybe it was anger at her for being so stupid, or maybe it was heartburn. He couldn't decide.

"I think he's even going to try to get the piers for your family," Sonny continued. "I'm not aware that you had any products to ship, but Johnny still wants them, apparently."

"I'll talk to him," Elizabeth promised, confirming in Jason's mind that she had no business being a part of the Zacchara family, a stupid girl like her. "I'll get him to see reason."

Sonny's brows furrowed. "But I thought you weren't planning on being a part of the business."

"That's not entirely true," she shrugged. "And besides, you're right: the Zacchara family has no use for those piers. We don't ship anything ourselves, we're not part of an alliance with someone that does, and with all the changes that are going to be put in effect…you're right, we won't be needing those piers."

Now she had Jason's attention, and he also wanted to capitalize on her naiveté. "What changes?"

"Elizabeth?" Trevor smiled warmly down at her when she looked up. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but the Tagliati family is here and I would love to introduce you to them personally. Their daughter went to Oxford, too."

"Oh." Elizabeth stood up too quickly and wobbled perilously on her heels before grabbing Trevor's hand for balance. "Of course. It was lovely talking to you, Sonny. Please, won't you excuse me?"

Sonny smiled, dimples prominent, and nodded. "But only if you save a spot on your dance card for me."

She blushed again and walked away, leaning slightly against the family attorney to keep her balance atop those shoes.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Jason arched a brow at Sonny. "A spot on your dance card?"

The mobster grimaced, watching the brunette almost trip on her feet, and shuddered. "I should have worn steel-tipped shoes or something."

"At least you got what you needed."

Sonny had to smile at that. "We really hit the jackpot, you know. I haven't talked to a woman that powerful or that stupid in a long time. It feels good."

"I wonder what all those changes were that she was talking about."

"We'll put someone on it. Don't worry, we'll find out soon enough."

* * *

_Later that evening…_

"Excuse – Excuse me? Ladies and gentlemen?" Elizabeth wasn't having much luck drawing the crowd's attention, and Jason watched as her brother stepped forward.

"May we have your attention," he boomed. The partygoers quieted and looked toward him. "Thank you. My sister wants to say something."

Elizabeth cleared her throat, looking rather uncomfortable now that she was the center of attention. "Um…When Trevor called me and asked me to come home, I wasn't all that eager, truth be told. I loved him and I loved my brother, but I wasn't blind to what the situation was back home, or how dangerous their lives had become."

Sonny contained a snort as he sipped his champagne.

"I told Trevor that I would come home and live with him and John on one condition," she continued, ruining the dramatic effect by shoving her glasses higher up on her nose. "When I outlined my terms, he didn't seem to warm to them. But I'm happy to say that eventually we agreed, and here I am."

She glanced at Trevor who smiled and nodded encouragingly, then looked up at her brother, who was beaming down at her. Whatever was meant by those looks, Sonny and Jason knew that this was big.

"My terms were very simple, and steps have already been taken to making sure they were met." Her dark eyes scanned the room smoothly, and Elizabeth took a small step forward and raised her champagne flute. "So upon my arrival home at last, I propose a toast. To the Zacchara family, and all of our close friends and associates."

"To the Zacchara family," the guests echoed dutifully.

Elizabeth raised her glass higher. "In five years, we shall be completely legitimate."

And that was when Sonny Corinthos choked on his champagne.


	3. Chapter 3

**Prompt – Bow to no one.**

**3**

Johnny Zacchara had secured the piers.

Sonny had no idea how the little rat bastard did it, but he did it. He got the piers, signed for ownership, and had everything notarized and transferred before any of the other buyers even got wind of it. And Sonny had taken his frustration out on all the barware he owned.

He stared at the grass that littered the floor of his office. His breathing was erratic, his hair was curly and mussed, and he had a sprinkling of cuts on his palms, but he didn't feel anything. All he knew was that Johnny Zacchara had gone against the wishes of his family, which was halfway to legitimate now, and bought the piers.

But worse, he bought the piers right out from under Sonny, and he wasn't about to have that. Something needed to be done to make sure that Johnny Zacchara knew that this wouldn't be tolerated.

* * *

"Johnny's missing. Trevor wants answers."

Sonny looked up from his newspaper as Jason burst into his office. "What? Johnny's missing?"

His enforcer nodded. "Word is that he was grabbed last night from his house. Our men on the inside say that Elizabeth is a mess and Trevor's on the warpath."

Sonny snorted. "Well, even his 'warpath' won't scare very many people now that he's 'legitimate.'"

Jason shook his head. "He should have known this would happen. I don't know what he was thinking, buying the piers when his sister and Trevor made it clear that they were changing the business from the ground up."

"He's a stupid kid," his best friend shrugged. "That's all there is to it."

"He had to have known that this would happen," Jason continued. "He bought the piers knowing that you, me, Jerry, Moreau, Sandoval, Tagliati, and the Ruiz family wanted them. Any one of them could have made a strike against him."

Sonny remained silent, and something clicked in Jason's head.

"Did you do it?"

He looked up, surprised. "What?"

"Did you do it?" Jason repeated. "Did you have Johnny kidnapped?"

Sonny heaved a heavy sigh and turned back to his paper. "Jason, I think that little shit got what was coming to him. He wanted to play with the big boys and someone took him down. It's his own damn fault. After he got away with shooting Kate-"

"You don't know that he shot Kate," Jason fired back. "Even Kate doesn't know that he shot Kate."

"He shot Kate!" Sonny yelled back. "He did it and you wouldn't let me kill him for it! Now? He finally got what he deserved and honestly? I don't give a shit about him and I'm not going to talk about this anymore."

Jason scowled and turned around. "I'm going to tell Trevor I'll help him search for Johnny."

Sonny stared at him. "What? What the hell for?!"

"Because, legitimate or not, the Zaccharas are a powerful family," he ground out. "And if they go fully legitimate, it would be very good for us to have an alliance with them as a better front than the coffee business. Or as an expansion of the coffee business. And since they own the piers now, if we partner with them we can use the property for coffee at the very least, even if for nothing else. It would be smart to join them in this."

"They're the enemy!"

Jason rolled his eyes and reached for the door. "I'll be back later."

"Jason! You can't offer them anything! Do you hear me? THEY'RE THE ENEMY!"

"They're your enemies," Jason corrected. "They're your enemies because you want them to be. Trevor doesn't care enough. Johnny doesn't want to start a war with us. It's all you. They're _your _enemies because you're still mad that Trevor fucked Kate before you had a chance to."

And with that, Jason left the office.

* * *

Johnny had been found.

It was like the iron fist that threatened to clamp down around her heart had melted away, and Elizabeth could breathe again. Her brother was safe and sound and would soon be down. And she credited it all to her men.

Naturally, that asshole Sonny Corinthos had tried to get some of his men on the inside of their family and organization. When that failed, he enticed a couple of her men to become turncoats. The men had known Elizabeth's position and played with Sonny for a while before finally accepting. They knew that they were allowed to accept the money Sonny offered and they conferred at great length with Johnny, Trevor, and Elizabeth as to what information they were to disclose to the enemy. They kept Jason and Sonny regaled for a long time with tales of the specific (but nonexistent) measures the family was taking to become legitimate.

They told him all sorts of things about how Elizabeth stopped eating, how she cried non-stop for her little brother and begged Trevor to find him at all cost. The men pretending to be turncoats weren't thought of highly enough to be told specific, damning information about the Morgan-Corinthos organization, but they could get close enough to bug certain people and certain rooms.

And that was how Elizabeth found out exactly where her little brother was being held: an old mental asylum along the docks, not too far from the Taylor building, and one of Sonny's waterfront properties.

She sent one of her men to pose as Sonny's and get closer to John. He managed to tell the youngest Zacchara that his sister and Trevor knew where he was and that they had a plan to get him out and put Sonny in his place once and for all. Now, all they had to do was wait for the right moment when everything was in place.

Trevor knocked on the door to her little parlor and let himself in. "Elizabeth? How are you holding up, sweetheart?"

She smiled at his little joke. "About as well as any bereaved sister, I suppose. Have you gathered the men I wish to speak to?"

Trevor nodded. "They're all waiting in the office, sweetheart. I had the room swept twice for bugs, and everything's clean. They're ready for your orders."

Elizabeth lowered her legs from the edge of her table and stood smoothly, tugging at the hem of her black dress. "All right. Let's do this."

Trevor waited for her to exit the room, then followed her out. Elizabeth moved smoothly, her gait loose and her stride determined, and her red stilettos clicked on the freshly polished floors. "Er, Elizabeth?"

"Yes?"

"Would it be too much for me to ask what you're planning?"

She smiled sweetly and patted his shoulder. "I'm afraid so, Trevor. And that's why I need you to wait elsewhere while I have this meeting. The more you know, the more someone can get out of you."

Trevor nodded. He expected her answer. "Very well. Call me if you need me. I have some contracts to finalize."

She watched him head off to the library and then turned and entered the office. A dozen of her men were waiting for her, and she closed the doors securely behind herself.

"I've called you all here because we need to rescue John and destroy Sonny Corinthos."

* * *

She sat at her desk in her little parlor, her legs up on the corner and her ankles crossed, waiting for phone calls from her men. Ten of them had already checked in and there were two left.

The phone buzzed and she scooped it up. "Yeah? Good. Get out of there and make sure you have an alibi. Don't go to Jake's – four others are there already. Try Kelly's or something else. Yeah."

No sooner had she hung up than it buzzed again: a call from her last man on the task. "Yeah? Good. You're the last one. Get out of there now. Okay. Great. No, it's you and Casey that are running the asylum mission. Get John out of there – I don't care who you have to mow down, got it? Okay."

A knock at the door revealed her butler, and Elizabeth quickly snapped her phone shut. "Miss Elizabeth?"

"Yes, Reivers?"

"There's a man here to see you. Mister Jason Morgan."

She stared at him. "…Are you sure?"

Reivers smiled slyly. "Afraid so, Miss. He seems very eager to see you. You'd better don the ugly duckling ensemble."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and quickly lowered her legs to the floor. She pulled her hair, which was down in curls, into a ponytail and tied it up in a messy, haphazard bun. Her fake glasses were resting on the desk and she quickly put them on, then exchanged her stilettos for the black ballerina flats she always kept under her desk.

"All right. Send him in."

"Oh." Reivers mimed rubbing his eyes. "Your eyes, Miss."

"Right." Elizabeth took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hand until they were red and slightly puffy. "Thank you. Send him in, please."

"Right away."

A few minutes later, Jason Morgan was shown into her office. Reivers purposefully left the door open, which made Elizabeth smile.

She sniffled and got up from her chair, padding around the desk and over to him. "What do you need, Jason?"

Glacial eyes met hers evenly. "I came about your brother."

Elizabeth gasped and abruptly reached out, taking his arms. "Johnny? Did you find him? Do you know where he is?"

Jason shook his head, gently taking her hands and removing them from his arms. "No. I came to let you and Trevor know that I'll help you find him."

Her lips parted in surprise and for once, Elizabeth wasn't faking it. "What? Why?"

"He's just a kid," Jason sighed. "He's in over his head and he needs help. I'm here to offer it."

Elizabeth's eyes narrowed. "What's the real reason you're doing this, Jason?"

He swallowed and frowned at her. She wasn't supposed to be this perceptive. "There's no other reason."

"Liar."

Or that frank. "Look, it's just…"

She was starting to put the pieces together. "What has John done for you, Jason? Why do you feel you owe him?"

He looked away and remained silent for so long that she was starting to doubt he'd reply. "Johnny did me a favor once. I want to repay it."

"What kind of favor?"

Jason growled under his breath and shoved his hands in his pockets. "It doesn't matter."

"It matters to me," she replied firmly. "I want to know what sort of men my brother is associated with, and through what means."

Jason's lips thinned. This was a different side of the coy, awkward woman he met at the Zacchara ball. She was much the same, true, but he was beginning to see a sharper, stronger side of her when it came to her brother. "Someone tried to kill Johnny once."

Her eyes widened in horror, and Jason carefully neglected to mention the fact that it was Sonny.

"He thought that Sonny was responsible for it." He rolled his shoulders, trying to relieve the tension there. "He came to hunt him down and found me instead. He had a chance to kill me, but he didn't. He said it was because he knew that I personally had nothing to do with the attempt on his life, which I didn't."

"And you've wanted to repay him ever since," Elizabeth murmured. "So you would no longer want to be indebted to him."

"Something like that."

Elizabeth let out a tremulous sigh and leaned against the desk, trying to look the part of a worried and grieving sister. "What do you propose, Jason?"

"I know you have search efforts underway for Johnny," he replied. "I want to join them."

"You want to work with my men?"

"Not really. I want their information. I have a kid who works for me – Damien Spinelli – and he's good at finding people. If I put him on the case, I know we'll have answers."

"We've been looking non-stop and haven't come up with anything," Elizabeth admitted. "I don't know how this could have happened, how he could have vanished so completely. I don't know what I'd do if…"

Jason found himself reaching out to gently squeeze her shoulder. "I know. I've had people I cared about kidnapped because of my life and my business. And I'll help you find Johnny. You just make sure I get the information you have, and let me work. There's nothing you can do for him like this – let me handle it."

She shot him her most grateful look. "Thank you. I'll do that. I'll put you in touch with my men and-"

"I'd like to speak to only a couple," he interrupted. "The ones you trust the most."

Elizabeth's brows furrowed. "I don't understand how-"

"At this point, I'm starting to think that this was an inside job." Jason leaned against her desk as well and stared out into the hall through the door that the butler had conspicuously left ajar. "Someone on the inside who knew what Johnny did and knew how to take him down."

Elizabeth closed her eyes and bowed her head. "I don't even want to think about-"

"Then don't." Jason stared directly into her eyes, his tone as comforting as he knew how to make it. "Let me help."

She nodded. "Yes. Yes, of course. If you go out into the hall, you'll find my butler. He'll give you the contact information for Rainne O'Connor. He's worked closely with Trevor for years, and he's our most trusted man."

Jason nodded and pushed himself away from the desk. "Thanks. I'll be in touch."

Elizabeth smiled softly as he crossed the room. "You're not much like your partner, are you?"

Jason stopped and slowly turned. "What do you mean?"

"Sonny," Elizabeth repeated unnecessarily. "He's all pretty words and sentiments and smiles. You're not much for the social interaction, but you're a man of action."

He shrugged awkwardly. "I do what I can. What I have to."

She nodded and waited until he left the room before letting out a little sigh. "And for that, I'm sorry for your poor choice in friends."

* * *

Spinelli looked up as Jason entered the penthouse. "So? Did you do it? Did you talk to the Gentle Wallflower?"

He nodded. "I told her I would help, and I told her that it was probably an inside job."

"Do you really think so?"

"It has to be."

"So, did you…"

"Yeah, Spinelli, I bugged her office. And a fern in the foyer and the private study. I saw a couple of her men talking together about something the night of the party in those places, and it didn't look like they were on board with the Zacchara family's new plans. If there's dissension in the ranks, we'll know about it soon."

"I shall trace them immediately," Spinelli announced, pulling his laptop open. "By the way, I ordered dinner for us. It's a little too late to eat now but in case you're hungry…"

He spotted the Chinese take-out on the counter and already moved to grab it. "It's fine. Check the bug in the parlor first. East-most location in the house."

"Is this the Gentle Wallflower's private hang-out?"

"Yeah, I think so. If any of her guards were working against her, they'd know for sure that the family wouldn't bug Elizabeth's parlor and they might go there to talk."

"Excellent….Here we go." He turned up the volume and rotated the computer so it faced his mentor. "Can you hear okay?"

He nodded and pulled the balcony doors open. It was a warm night and his penthouse overlooked their properties on the harbor. In the distance, he could see the Alcazar properties owned by the still-missing Johnny Zacchara.

"There are two men talking, Stone Cold." Spinelli turned up the volume. "I think you might have been right."

_"All I'll say is that it's lucky for us that Corinthos is such a fucking dipshit. He gets some pussy and the only head he thinks with is the one between his legs."_

Spinelli wrinkled his nose. "Graphic."

"That's Rainne," Jason frowned. "I talked to him earlier today. He's Trevor's right-hand man."

_"Sonny's always been like that. How he hasn't been found in the gutter with two bullets between his eyes is beyond me."_

Spinelli stared at the computer. "…That's Trevor. That's Trevor Lansing!"

"Shut up," Jason hissed, "let's hear this."

_"You got everything ready?"_

There was a pause.

_"Just about. Keep your eye on the clock, Trevor. You'll know when it happens."_

_"We waiting for midnight?"_

_"Yup."_

_"Say, isn't Sonny moving a shipment across the river tonight?"_

_"Yup."_

_"Rainne…"_

_"Look, just wait for fucking midnight. And keep your eyes on the harbor. You'll know when it happens."_

Spinelli and Jason exchanged glances, and Jason pulled his phone out of his pocket as the boy hopped over the back of the couch and joined him by the balcony.

"Sonny? It's me. Something's happening on the harbor tonight. I don't know – I don't know! Just get in touch with Logan, tell him to be ready if something goes wrong. If he can't unload it, send the ship down and back around. We'll keep it circling until morning."

_"And…There we go. John's out. He's safe. Corinthos thought he was so smart, holding him hostage in one of his waterfront properties. Ass."_

_"How many of Corinthos's men were killed in getting John out?"_

_"About seven. It's a sketchy count, though. Could be more."_

Spinelli's jaw dropped. "Mister Corinthos Sir was the one that kidnapped the Septic Son?!"

Jason was still processing that. "He held him in one of our warehouses?"

_"Do me a favor. Set the record player to play."_

_"What have you got in here, Rainne? What is this?"_

_"1812 Overture. Turn it on. Good. And here we go…five…four…three…two…"_

Spinelli and Jason leaned forward, their eyes trained on the harbor.

_"One."_

Pier 52 exploded in a spray of red, white, and orange, sending off sparks and flaming debris. Spinelli reeled back in shock, but that wasn't the end of it. It was just the beginning.

_"Jesus Christ."_

With the famous composition playing in the background, the waterfront warehouses exploded in perfect rhythm to the piece. Pier 50 was next, and before the debris could hit the ground Pier 48 went up in flames. It continued all down the line until the harbor was outlined in a half-ring of fire as the Corinthos-Morgan properties burned high and bright.

Spinelli had gone completely pale. "Oh, my God. Oh, my God, oh, my God."

Jason's phone was ringing, most likely a furious Sonny, but he didn't even have the presence of mind to answer it as he watched their hard-won piers dance and crackle in a wall of fire. "Fucking shit…"

"The ship! The ship on the river!"

Insult to injury – that was what it was. Their shipment, which was supposed to be safe and sound on the harbor, was lost when the boat was overturned under fire.

Jason closed his eyes, unable to believe what he had just seen. The 1812 Overture played on.

_"Wow."_

_"Wasn't that something?"_

_"What I wouldn't give to be a fly on Sonny's wall right now."_

_"You said it, Trevor. I'm telling you, stuff like this…it really makes you glad to be in this line of work."_

A sultry feminine laugh, a half-purr, really, caught Jason and Spinelli's attention, and it was the only thing that could have torn their gaze from the destroyed waterfront at that moment.  
_  
"Something funny, Elizabeth?"_

_"Terribly."_

_"Care to share?"_

_"I'm just really enjoying being 'legitimate,' Rainne, that's all."_

_"I'll bet you are, sweetheart."_

_"I'm sure you see now why pretending to go legit was such a brilliant idea, Trevor," _they heard her say. _"And to think, you tried to fight me on it."_

_"I should have known better, dear, I really should have. Especially after we heard about all the changes you made in Milan. Destroyed all the opposition and set up Anthony's empire there – brilliant."_

_"I got the call. John's just a few minutes from home. He'll be here shortly."_

_"Good. Think Sonny Corinthos got the message?"_

_"What? That if he fucks with the Zacchara family, he's as good as signing his own death warrant? Don't worry, Elizabeth. Your little show tonight should prove beyond the shadow of a doubt who really runs Port Charles now."_

**The End.**


End file.
